Trump Will Keep Comey as FBI Director
Comey came under fire over decisions about Hillary’s server.
President Donald Trump will keep James Comey as FBI director. FBI directors stay in their position for 10 years. Comey became the director in 2013, but Trump could have chosen to let him go.
This is actually a shock since Trump blasted Comey on the campaign trail when he decided not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton despite finding numerous instances of Hillary and staff being careless with confidential information on her private server. The New York Times reports:
A decision to retain Mr. Comey would spare the president another potentially bruising confirmation battle. It also would keep Mr. Comey at the center of the F.B.I.’s investigation into several Trump associates and their potential ties with the Russian government.
Retaining Mr. Comey could also help calm the bureau’s work force, which has been rattled after a tumultuous few months in which the F.B.I. and the director himself were sharply criticized for moves that many felt influenced the outcome of the presidential election.
During the campaign, Mr. Trump harshly criticized the F.B.I. and Justice Department for not bringing criminal charges against Hillary Clinton in connection with her use of a personal email server. After Mr. Trump was elected in November, he said in a nationally televised interview that he had not made up his mind about whether he would ask Mr. Comey to resign.
When Mr. Comey and the president-elect met in Trump Tower for the first time earlier this month for an intelligence briefing, Mr. Trump told the F.B.I. director that he hoped he would remain in his position, according to people briefed on the matter. And Mr. Trump’s aides have made it clear to Mr. Comey that the president does not plan to ask him to leave, these people said.
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Comments
Keeping Comey is the final nail in the coffin. Hillary’s case is closed, she will never be found guilty or even charged with a single thing. Such a shame.
One of the keys to successful management is realistic evaluation of priorities.
Much of the post-Obama federal government is in ruins, and still burning. But of all the fires Trump needs to extinguish immediately, the FBI is a relatively small one.
I think he can afford to let it smolder for a bit while he chases after the big ones.